


The Family You Choose

by HarinezumiTatsu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarinezumiTatsu/pseuds/HarinezumiTatsu
Summary: Rina has had enough of life in high society. Just when she thinks she's had enough, she meets a boy that will alter the course of her life as she knows it. Now it's time to prove what she's made of. Does she have what it takes to follow the call to adventure her soul so desperately craves?
Kudos: 1





	The Family You Choose

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to take a quick moment to say I've been a long time reader, but this is my first ever written fic. I almost didn't write it, but this story just won't leave me alone! I have it fully outlined and know exactly where I want it to go, plus a sequel. So if you enjoy what you read, I will finish it so don't worry. I hope you enjoy this intro chapter! :D

The click-clack of her ballroom heels on the pavement matched the beating of her heart. The cool night air burned her lungs as she inhaled deeply, but she kept running with her eevee following closely. The young girl collapsed to the ground when she came upon a bridge, marking the end of her parents' property and the start of the public road. Breathing heavily, she looked back at the mansion sitting at the top of a steep incline with the road weaving around the foliage. It now looked a lot smaller and nothing like the prison it felt like earlier in the evening.

"Eeeeiiii..." Eevee hopped over the ruffles of the girl's cream coloured ballgown dress. It put it's paws on her legs in an attempt to comfort its master.

The girl turned and looked at the pokemon, eyes welling with tears.

"You need to leave, Eevee." She said. "Go. Live a happy life."

"Vuiii.." Eevee cried, looking up at it's master.

"Please, just go," The girl said. She pushed the pokemon off her dress. Eevee ran a couple of feet on to the bridge and turned back. The girl took one of her shoes and threw it at the young pokemon. "I said go!" And with that, the eevee ran across the bridge and in to the dark forest. Tears streamed down the young girl's face. She slowly stood up, using the side of the bridge to stabilize her movements. She sobbed as she took her other shoe off her foot and threw it as far as she could across the bridge. The ground felt cold beneath her feet. A smile started to tug at her lips as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. It felt free. She walked to the centre of the bridge and climbed upon the stone parapet, standing to look down at the dark river. She stood there frozen, working up the courage to do what she came there to do. She felt tears roll down her face. Her long cerulean hair coming out of her updo danced in the cold wind. It felt like she had been there for ages, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Aren't you being a tad melodramatic?" The voice said. The girl turned her head and looked behind her. A young boy who appeared to be close to her own age was standing in the light of the street lamp. His suit, his hair, his eyes, everything about him was dark save for a crimson tie.

"excuse me?" She didn't move from the edge of the bridge. The boy casually walked toward her until he reached the parapet beside where she was standing.

"Well really, how bad can it be?" A smirk crept across his face as he spoke. The girl's tears ceased and she could feel her face become hot.

"How would you know, you don't even know me!"

"Your ballgown tells me you came from a fancy dinner party. Probably the one I was invited to," He held up an ivory card, the invitation her mother sent out. "Considering my mother insisted I attend, I have a feeling it's one of those parties. The kind where they parade some poor girl around like a ponyta in hopes to attract a future husband with a high social status," The boy walked over to her other side, hands folded behind his back. "You are a silver spoon fed baby who can't handle living up to your parents' expectations."

"I can handle it just fine. I would just rather die than live a mind-numbingly boring life with someone I don't love." She turned to once again look down at the river flowing beneath them. It was so dark it felt like she was looking down in to a void of nothingness.

"Well the night's not getting any younger," The boy said.

"Aren't you supposed to try and stop me? Lie to me about how much I have to live for?"

"Oh, you thought I was here to stop you? That's cute. No no, I simply just wanted to see if you're actually going to do it."

The cold and distant narcissism was astounding! Determination spread over the girl's face. This boy was exactly like all the others she had previously met. This boy was proof that she did not belong in her mother's world. It was now or never, she decided. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall forward. Time seemed to slow as she felt her hair blow back in the cool air. That is, until she stopped. She opened her eyes to see that she was standing at an angle towards the water. She looked behind her to see the boy holding her wrist, his face completely relaxed save for a small half smile.

"I have a proposition for you," the boy said. "Come back to the party and choose me as your suitor."

"Why would you wait to propose something like that?!" She said.

"I told you, I wanted to see if you'd actually do it," He said. "My mother wants me to marry and keep the family line going, but I'm not interested in the thought of someone tying me down. I need someone who desires freedom as much as I do. Someone who needs to get what they want, or die trying. Choose me, and I can give you what you want. So long as you don't stand in the way of my ambitions."

"Ambitions?"

"I have big plans for my family business."

The girl thought about what he was offering. This certainly would solve her dilemma, but it sounded too good to be true. She had just met him. How could she be sure he wouldn't change as soon as they married?

"I'm not sure I trust you," She said.

"Marriage is a two way street, you have the power to make my life considerably harder as well," He said. "Or I could just let you go and get on with my evening." When she didn't react he added, "you could always jump off another bridge."

He was incredibly callous, but he did have a point. It's not like she had a bright future with her original plan.

"Alright, pull me up," she said. The boy complied and pulled with enough force to send her tumbling in to his arms. He looked in to her icy blue eyes for a few seconds before carefully placing her on the ground. He nonchalantly retrieved her shoes thrown on the road just moments ago and placed them in front of her so she could step in to them.

"Your carriage awaits, princess. My car is stopped on the other side, where the forest stops," the boy pointed to the other side of the bridge. and they started walking towards it.

"How did you know to stop so far up?" She asked.

"Actually, it's kind of a funny story. You see, as I was driving this eevee ran on to the middle of the road out of no where," He said. Her head perked up at the mention of an eevee. Eevee nests weren't found in these forests, it had to be her little eevee! They reached the black car and the boy opened the passenger side door. Inside sitting on the seat was an eevee with a pretty pink collar around it's neck. Her darling eevee.

"Eevee!" She held out her arms and Eevee jumped in to her warm embrace. She brought the small pokemon up to her face and the two snuggled.

"I thought you two might know each other. It was trying to tell me something when I got out to shoe it away. That's when I saw you."

"Thank you so much for making sure Eevee was safe," Her eyes filled with tears and her voice cracked as she spoke. The boy was taken aback at the sudden show of emotion, and decided to change the subject.

"So do you have a name, or shall I just call you princess from now on?"

"Oh my, I'm so rude! I completely forgot to introduce myself! My name is Rina, and as you may have guessed, this little guy is Eevee." She smiled and patted Eevee on the head as she spoke.

"Eeeeiiii!" Eevee gave an enthusiastic response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," He said. "The name's Giovanni. Shall we?" He motioned to the passenger seat of the car. Rina sat down and folded up her dress in front of her. Giovanni shut the door and took his seat in the driver's side. He started the car and began driving towards the mansion.

"So tell me how this is going to work," Rina pet Eevee's head and back.

"How what is going to work?" Giovanni didn't look up from the road.

"How we get to have our cake, and eat it too."

"It's simple, really. We arrange to be married and give the appearance that we're playing by their rules. You don't stand in my way, and in return you will have more adventure than you could ever imagine."

"And what's the catch?"

"The catch is my mother is expecting an heir to the family business, there's no getting around that. But we can do a lot of living before we get to that point."

"My mother keeps an extremely close eye on me, she would never allow something like this."

"Don't worry, I have it all planned out. I thought of everything, I just needed someone who wanted more out of life than mindless jibber jabber and cocktail parties."

"Do you…not like girls?"

"What?" a pink colour started spreading across his cheeks.

"It's okay if you don't, you know. I have some friends who married for appearances alone, and they- "

"That's not what this is about." He interrupted her. "No, I just refuse to ever be tied down, and I'm wiling to bet you feel the same way." He pulled up in front of the mansion and turned the car off. He took a comb out of an inner pocket of his suit and handed it to Rina. "For your hair. That is unless you wanted to tell your mother what really happened."

Rina looked at her reflection in side mirror. The half her hair was coming out of the updo the stylist put it in, and it was frizzy and dishoveled from the wind. She quickly took out all of the booby pins she could find and gave her hair a quick run through with the comb. She couldn't fix her curls, but she could at least make it somewhat presentable. When she was happy with the results, she handed the comb back to Giovanni and got out of the car. Eevee jumped from her hands down to the ground.

"Wait for me in our bedroom, I'll tell you everything later," She said.

"Vuiiiii!" Eevee ran off to the side and around the corner of the mansion, towards the poke-door at the back. Rina joined Giovanni on her doorstep. The dark cherry wood doors appeared to be massive up close.

"Ready, Princess?" He said. Rina nodded, a little unsure. This could surely turn out the be a disaster, but there was only one way to find out. "Remember, tell them what they want to hear." He reassured her as he put his hand on the small of her back. Rina stiffened slightly at the touch. She wasn't used to the touch of another in such a personal area. Giovanni rang the doorbell and they stood in silence for what felt like full minutes. The door opened and a maid stood on the other side, looking shocked.

"Miss Rina, what are you doing outside? Your parents are looking for you!" She stepped back and motioned inside. "Well get in, then." Both Rina and Giovanni stepped inside the foyer.

The foyer was the size of some small houses, with ceilings as tall as the mansion itself. It was lined with a large, red rug and pink walls on either side. The floor and trim were white with a hint of light blue. They were facing two curved staircases, coming out in opposing directions and converging just in front of where they stood.

"Olivia, who's there? Guests are to be announced in the ballroom," A voice of an older woman carried throughout the foyer. A purple haired woman dressed in a red ornate gown spoke as she glided down the stairs. "Rina, your hair! It's ruined! What have you been doing?"

Rina felt a chill go down her back, but she remembered what Giovanni had told her just moments before. Tell them what they want to hear, his voice played in her head. Should be easy enough, her mother has been telling her how to act her whole life. She took a deep breathe and tried her best to feign confidence.

"Mother, something extraordinary has happened," She said. "I was taking a walk up the driveway to get some fresh air, when I realized I had walked to far to make it back to the party on time. This boy stopped his car and offered me a ride back. We had a lovely conversation, which continued once we got back to the house. Mother, I would like to introduce you to Giovanni." She motioned to him. A lump formed in her throat. Her mother didn't look pleased at all.

"Alone with a boy? That is very improper for a lady, Rina." Her mother scolded. Rina decided to lay it on thick. After all, what did she have to lose? If Giovanni could do what he said he could, this was probably her only chance at a different life than what she was born in to.

"Mother, I'm in love! We are both mutually interested in each other. I choose him!" She was trying not to overact, but not succeeding. Rina's mother stood in silence, studying her daughters face. Rina felt her heart beating against her chest and her face become flushed. She adverted her gaze down before it gave her away. "So long as you grant us your approval, that is."

Her mother's gaze travelled from her daughter to Giovanni. He stood straight but was very relaxed. He extended his hand to her and bowed slightly when her hand met his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame," He said.

"How are you planning on supporting my daughter?" Her questioning starting immediately, not missing a beat. Rina tried not to sigh audibly. Figures she only cares about money and social stature, she thought.

"I'm the heir to the Viridian City gym, my mother is the gym leader there. Call it a family business." He gave Rina a wink as he spoke. "My mother sends her regrets that she couldn't make the gala. She is a very busy woman and has entrusted me to decide on a partner. We also ask that your daughter come live in our family home until we can be legally wed. Our family has certain expectations, and the sooner your daughter gets used to it the better."

Rina's head shot up at the suggestion. She didn't expect to leave her family home so suddenly. The very thought of it excited her in a way she has never felt before. But would her mother agree? She turned her head ever so slightly to look at her mother so as to be so obvious. Any hint of a smile had left her mother's face, and with it went any hope Rina had of getting out from her parents' thumbs. Her mother's eyes narrowed on Giovanni.

"Young man, there are certain ways of doing things. Tradition must be followed." Her mother spoke in an even tone.

"I understand." Giovanni reached in to his suit jacket and pulled out a small piece of paper, folded once. "My mother has asked me to present this to the family of the girl I choose. A small bursary for the break in protocol." He handed the paper to Rina's mother. She unfolded it and her eyes widened as she read what was printed on the rectangular piece of paper. Her head shot up much like Rina's did just moments ago.

"Congratulations, Rina. This gala just turned in to your engagement party," she said. "I will inform your father immediately. You start packing tomorrow." She started walking towards the ballroom before Rina could answer.

"How much was on that check?!" Rina tried to keep her voice low.

"Enough." Giovanni said.

"So the Viridian City gym, that's the family business you were talking about?"

"Kind of. It's a little more complicated than that."

"Well the sooner I get involved the better." She quoted him. "What exactly am I marrying into?"

"Ever hear of Team Rocket?"


End file.
